How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food

02Dec

Want to know the secret to getting your kids to eat healthy foods?

Ready?

Here it is…

GIVE IT TO THEM!

I know, complicated, right?

Here’s the reason I cook healthy, yummy foods:

I love them.

Sure, I may have had to whip out a stern “mom face” to get my kids to eat something on their plate at some point, but overall, they adjusted pretty quickly to eating a grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free diet. They get to indulge sometimes. Heck, I do, too. But we live in a “safe zone” for Superman*.

*My awesome husband

There are still things that Superman can’t eat due to his highly overactive autoimmune disease that even “Paleo” people can…cinnamon, eggs, most fruits…and a list of about 100 other things. It’s sad. But he knows I’m not going to be serving things for dinner that aren’t safe for him. I don’t even know if I have any wheat flour anywhere…or sugar. I mostly bake with almond flour, and the kids enjoy “clean” treats just as much as they did cupcakes or traditional cookies or ice cream.

Our kids know just how broken daddy’s body is. They know that eating the way we do will help ensure they don’t have the same problems that he does. They get that. And even though they may enjoy splurging at times, it’s been ingrained into their noggins that it’s all about treating our bodies with respect, and feeding it things that make it thrive, not slowly die. And I truly believe by eating the way “traditional” America does, we would be setting our kids up for futures of unneeded pain and suffering.

Not to say they won’t still have health problems…I can’t predict the future. But I can do my best to ensure they get the best start possible.

And so, that’s how I get my kids to eat healthy. We’re honest with them. We’re open with them. And they eat what they get…at least while we’re at home…and they’re young enough for me to be their chef.